The Conqueror's Library
by Souzan
Summary: A new tale from the world of Armageddon Now.
1. Chapter 1

Greetings. I am Souzan, humble scribe and honored to be called "friend" by the bard, Gabrielle. It is through her efforts, and the love shared between the bard and our Lord Conqueror, that the Conqueror's Library was established. And now, at long last, I have been granted permission to tell the tale of the building of this library.

I was present at Gabrielle's "trial", and I don't think I will ever forgive myself for remaining silent. Oh, my friend has told me, repeatedly and often loudly, that there is nothing to forgive. After all, she insists, isn't silence at a public trial the law, and isn't the penalty for violation of this law swift, immediate, and final? Ah, my friend, you forget that I was witness to your "crime" and arrest. Your only crime was to crush the testicles of a pig.

How I wished that the Conqueror's accused were allowed a defense. Perhaps I could have spared my friend the incredible pain she endured at the hands of the executioner. But then again, the subsequent salvation of the Conqueror and her realm would have been forfit, would it not? I suppose that is only for the Fates to know.

Gabrielle was a bard at my mother's tavern. Surprisingly, storytelling was not forbidden in Corinth, though one must always take care to give no hint of rebellion or treason in the tales. It is common knowledge that the Conqueror respects honesty; so long as a bard speaks the truth and avoids embellishment, they are usually safe. Certain topics, such as her family, are off limits, but apparently she approves of stories of her conquests, no matter how gruesome or detailed.

It's ironic, actually. Gabrielle was a favorite of the soldiers, for she told stories of a different Xena. A warrior princess who turned away from the darkness and fought for the greater good. It seems these soldiers believed in a different side of the Conqueror. One that wanted moderation, that tried to temper justice with mercy, one that seemed to regret her past and wanted something better.

But then there was Darphus. Her second had the ability to provoke the Conqueror beyond reason. Somehow, for reasons that were beyond the soldiers, her second was able to drive Xena into insane rages that usually resulted in populating the field of crosses outside the gates.

We didn't know that, of course. To the people of Corinth and the rest of the known world, the Conqueror was as she always had been. Brutal, cruel, unforgiving...a tyrant. An unpredictable tyrant, to be sure. We watched her build an orphanage last year, we saw her finance hospices, and we wondered. But then out of nowhere, she went on a rampage. We watched her crucify countless "rebels" and listened as she declared new laws to fight the realm's "greatest enemies-rebellion and betrayal". And always there was Darphus beside her.

I am not the bard that Gabrielle is, but I will try to tell the tale as she told it to me.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Conqueror kept Darphus around for three reasons. First, fear is a powerful motivator, and Darphus' cruelty was well known and feared throughout the Realm. In the early days of her rule, Xena needed to give the newly conquered people a little extra incentive to just settle down and accept their new ruler. And if she got the credit for her second's wholesale terror tactics...well, at the time she could appreciate his methods even if she did despise the man. Giving her second free reign freed her from the chore of doing it herself._

_Secondly, Xena was a firm believer in the doctrine, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." She had not forgotten the gauntlet, and Xena was not about to turn her back on him. _

_Finally,every order given to Darphus helped to cement his humiliation. His punishment started a seven-day after the gauntlet. When Xena walked confidently back into her camp, snickers spread throughout the camp, as one by one her men noticed the large dark stain spreading across the traitorous warlord's trousers. With a humorless grin, Xena challenged Darphus for the leadership of her army. Darphus, blustering, attempted to refuse._

_However, just as the soldiers backed Darphus in his take-over attempt, so the men supported Xena's right to challenge. Cornered, the warlord drew his sword and attacked. The fight could have been over in heartbeats, but Xena had a lesson to teach, and proceeded to make a mockery of his sword fighting ability. She toyed with him for almost three candlemarks, until he could barely maintain his hold on the hilt. Blood slid down his arms, legs, and torso from literally hundreds of tiny cuts covering his body, slicking his hands and causing his feet to slip with every movement._

_Finally throwing down his sword, Darphus prostrated himself before the dark haired essence of fury and begged for his life. With a cold smirk Xena told the weeping man, "Oh, you'll live Darphus. You'll live to serve me." Never taking her satisfied gaze off the beaten man, she ordered a small detail to prepare a strong brine solution to be poured on Darphus' wounds each morning and evening for a seven-day._

_"After all Darphus, if you are to serve me for the rest of your pathetic life,we can't let those wounds become infected, now can we?" She sneered. "Ironic, isn't it? You led my army for a seven-day, and that is how long it will take to make sure your wounds are cleansed."_

_She waited, staring impassively at Darphus until the detail returned with the keg of brine. She ordered the men strip him and bind him with his back against a large tree at the center of the camp, arms stretched high overhead until his feet dangled an inch off the ground._

_"Since I caused these wounds," Xena drawled, "It's only fitting that I should be the one to treat them." Darphus thrashed wildly, trying to jerk his hands from the bindings. Xena watched a few moments, that chill smirk never leaving her face. Finally, she ordered her two largest men to take the warlord's ankles and hold his body almost parallel to the ground, until his head was level with her chest. Icy blue met terrified brown for a moment longer, then a cup of brine was held to his line of sight. Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to pour._

_As the last echoes of tortured screams faded into the night, Xena ordered the man's legs released, leaving Darphus dangling and unconscious. Finally, she turned to her army. She saw a sea of faces reflecting equal parts horror, terror, and perhaps a little awe. Xena took a long moment to make firm eye contact with each and every man._

_"Is there anyone else who would like a shot at running my army?" Silence. "Then get back to work," She growled, watching as over 200 tough, brutal warriors scurried to find something to do._

_So the punishment began, and continued to this day. The Conqueror never let an opportunity pass to remind the betrayer that he was property, living only to serve her whims. When the burden of ruling became oppressive, the Conqueror would amuse herself by relating to her second in gruesome (and inventive) detail precisely how she would provide a slow and torturous death to him when she finally grew bored with him. Ah, she often thought fondly, paybacks are a bitch, aren't they?_

_In the beginning, Xena went out of her way to find the most demeaning and humiliating tasks for her new slave to perform. Her personal favorite was to send him to the barracks to serve the soldiers, the men he used to command._

_But it would be foolish to continue wasting valuable resources, and the Conqueror was no fool. So she built a special position for Darphus to assist her in securing and stabilizing her Realm. She never allowed him to leave the castle alone to perform his duties, of course. (It wouldn't do to have her slave join any rebellion, after all.) Darphus' "squad" consisted entirely of soldiers who were present at the aftermath of the gauntlet, but who did not participate in the destruction of the village earlier. Xena felt these men were loyal to her (at least as loyal as could be expected. Again, Xena was no fool.)_

_The squad's orders were to help maintain the illusion that Darphus was her second, assist him in his orders to maintain control over the conquered people, and most importantly, to keep him in sight at all times. Xena was not about to allow the possibility of another betrayal, especially by this toad._

_The illusion created by the Conqueror was that of a second-in-command. As such, his main responsibility was to ensure a smooth reign, not allowing anyone to upset the applecart and to take care of the Conqueror's "dirty work". Only the men present at the gauntlet's aftermath and a select few trusted members of her staff knew the reality. Darphus was a slave, his manacles forged with his broken pride and tempered by his continual ongoing humiliation._

_Xena grinned. Oh, how he hated her._


	3. Chapter 3

"Gods," Xena thought ruefully. "If I'd known how much work was involved in running an empire, I'd have conquered a much smaller part of it." Placing the finished scroll on the right-hand stack, she looked at the slightly smaller pile on the left, then sighed. Rubbed her temples, she tried to fight off the throbbing that was the result of 3 candlemarks of petitions, reports, and other bureaucratic nonsense that came with being the Conqueror.

Suddenly she froze at the sound of footsteps in the corridor. Xena listened for an instant, then sighed again. As she heard the door to the outer room open, she called, "Come in, Palaemon."

Footsteps hesitated, an audible exhalation, then the door to her inner chambers opened.

"One day, Milord, I will convince you to teach me how you do that." Xena's lips twitched tiredly at the sheepish look on the scarred face of her captain.

"Perhaps. _After_ I teach you to walk without sounding like a centaur in rut." She smirked, then sobered. "What did you find out?" Tensing at the regretful look on the man's face.

"I checked the tomb first, as you ordered. It was…as reported, Milord. Rebel slogans were inked on the walls, the sarcophagus was destroyed, and…the body was missing." Palaemon winced at the bleak look that appeared for instant before the Conqueror's face hardened into its normal, stoic expression.

"And the rest?" At the captain's hesitation, she barked, "Now, Captain."

Palaemon took a deep breath, then continued, "After I left the tomb, I stopped in the woods for a moment to change out of my uniform. I guessed I might get more answers as a traveler than as a soldier.

"I went to the inn, ordered a meal, and listened to the conversations for a bit. I started making a show of drinking…by the way, that trick with the waterskin you taught me really paid off…and chatted up the young woman serving for a couple of candlemarks. Eventually I was able to find that, while there was no proof, everyone assumed that the resistance was responsible for the incident at the tomb. When I asked about the resistance, she insisted that no one really knew who the leader was in this chapter, but since the Conqueror's brother turned up missing about the same time that the tomb was destroyed, they figure he must be the leader, hiding out."

Palaemon paused for a moment, studying his hands. Finally, he looked up and said, "Milord, I'm afraid the reports appear to be true. It seems that they are very careful in protecting the identities of the resistance members, but everything seems to point to Toris." Watching the granite face of his liege, his shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Xena. I wish I could have brought you better news."

Xena's jaw clenched as the headache returned with a vengeance. _Betrayed. And by my own brother. Gods… _She felt the dark rage she tried to keep under control begin to bend the bars of its cage. For a moment she felt the hurt swell around her, then the rage freed itself.

"Get Darphus in here. We'll use his…talents…to nip this little problem in the bud. Oh, and Palaemon," she stopped the man as he started for the door, "When you capture my brother, bring him directly to me. Unharmed, if possible." There was no warmth in the grim smile. "I will teach him and his followers how betrayal is rewarded in my realm. Slowly."

Palaemon kept his gaze steady on his ruler's face. "As you command, Milord." He quickly moved through the door, closing it behind him.

Xena waited until she heard the outer door open and close, and the footsteps began to fade. Then she sat at her desk, rested her head on her hands and let the tears fall.


End file.
